Ziarco Appoints Mike Grey as Executive Chairman of Board of Directors

CANTERBURY, United Kingdom (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ziarco Group Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company focusing on inflammatory skin diseases, today announced the appointment of Mike Grey as Executive Chairman of its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Grey first joined the Company's board as an independent director in December 2014.

"Mike's expertise has been invaluable to Ziarco through important events since our Series B financing, including the hiring of Dr. Pablo Jimenez as Chief Medical Officer and the initiation of a Phase 2a study of our lead compound ZPL-389 in atopic dermatitis," said Ed Mathers, former Chairman of Ziarco and Partner at New Enterprise Associates. "I am confident that Mike will continue to serve Ziarco well in his new role as he helps shape the strategic direction of the Company."

Mr. Grey is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Reneo Pharmaceuticals, a privately held biotechnology company, and a Venture Partner at Pappas Ventures. From February 2011 until its acquisition by Shire plc in May 2014, Mr. Grey served as Founder, President, and CEO of Lumena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company focused on developing novel treatments for rare liver diseases. Previously, Mr. Grey served as CEO at several biopharmaceutical companies, including Auspex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., SGX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Trega Biosciences, Inc. Earlier in his career, Mr. Grey served as President of BioChem Therapeutic Inc., President and Chief Operating Officer of Ansan, Inc., and held various positions of increasing responsibility at Glaxo Inc. and Glaxo Holdings plc.

"I am delighted to have the continued opportunity to benefit from Mike Grey's insights as a seasoned leader in the biopharmaceutical industry," said Mike Yeadon, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ziarco. "I would also like to thank Ed Mathers for his leadership and many contributions while he served as Chairman of our board."

"This is an exciting time to be involved with Ziarco," said Mr. Grey. "I look forward to working more closely with the Company's leadership team to drive our promising lead compounds forward through clinical development and help address unmet needs in treating atopic dermatitis and psoriasis."

Mr. Grey also serves on the boards of Balance Therapeutics, Inc., BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., Horizon Pharma plc, Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. and Selventa, Inc. He earned a B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of Nottingham.